When an award-winning children's book was banned in some libraries for including the word "scrotum," I smelled a rat, since I know most librarians are front-line free-speech defenders.
In Bed with Susie Bright 283: The Scrotum Scare 'Em
Excerpt:
More troubling to me than the disingenuous hoo-ha over children's literature, is the persistent fear of teaching children the real names for body parts "down there."
Many people are proud that they teach their kids anatomically-correct vocabulary for all their body parts, and that's fine— it's a group of words that no one should leave home without! But I actually think the "naming" part of the lesson is the important one, not whether the name is slang, low-class, or high-falutin'.
The youngsters who are really at a disadvantage— and this is almost always girls— are the ones for whom the lesson is: This part of your body is so sinful and awful we dare not name it at all. I do not know of any young boys who don't know SOME specific name for their penis, but you quickly learn that girls often don't have a single clue for what's below the waist. Try to imagine not having a name for your mouth, your hands, your legs, because of your gender! It's deep, indeed.
Check out this take on "psychic genital mutilation" by Harriet Lerner.
In the second half of my show, I read some of the winners from my recent "Most Outrageous Kiss" storytelling contest.
And, in the Try This at Home mailbag, a woman wonders about the pleasures of a sex machine, and I confess my own wild ride on a Sybian when they were just coming off the assembly line!
Photo of Sarah Lucas' "Chicken Knickers" at the Tate.
Don't forget, you can send your confidential questions, feedback about the show, and requests for Girly Cards (Saint Patrick's Day is coming right up!), drop a line to [email protected] (Episode 283, March 2, 2007)
